Living in and Loving Western Australia
Living in and Loving Western Australia
As always, we've been quite busy, so we're a little late
with our blog. Here’s what has happened since the end of October.
On p-day we went over to Denmark to visit Elephant Rocks. No, there
aren't real elephants here, but there are huge granite boulders that resemble a
herd of elephants lumbering out to sea. It was beautiful!
A short walk from Elephant Rocks is Green’s Pool. It is well known
for its turquoise water and white sandy beaches edged by granite boulders
creating ideal conditions for swimming. Greens Pool is the iconic centerpiece
of William Bay National Park. It is a natural pool of turquoise water, protected by a
chain of granite boulders, making it a safer place to swim on this wild South
Coast. We have been hearing about Green’s Pool ever since we arrived in
Australia because it is our Branch member's, the Winter family, favorite place. We didn’t get in
the water on this trip but maybe when the weather warms up a bit. It is
beautiful.
We celebrated Elder Clower’s birthday at Branch Family Home evening by
throwing a Birthday party. We all had a blast! Family Home Evening has become
one of our favorite nights here on the mission. It has created a special bond in
the Branch, and these Branch members have become like family. We sure will miss
them when we return home. It is fun to get together and hear about each other’s
life and we have a great time playing different games.
Our next p-day we journeyed out to see the Albany Wind Farm. It was
incredible. The farm consists of 18 giant wind turbines, each at a height of about
328 feet from the base to the tip of the blades and the blades have diameter of
229 feet. The windmills are the tallest structures in Albany. They are massive! The turbines generate around 80% of clean,
green electricity for Albany. The view atop the bluff was gorgeous.
Another activity that our branch has started is movie night. Every other
Friday we get together at the church and watch a movie and enjoy treats. It has
been another great activity to create unity in the Branch. We have watched The
Cokeville Miracle, The Other Side of Heaven, and Brother Bear. It has been so
fun to get together in the evening.
The first week of November brought another trip to Perth to enjoy training
at Zone Conference and a Senior Activity. It is hard to believe that we only
have a two Zone Conferences left. We will definitely miss our interactions with
the other missionaries. We started the trip with a stop at Rottnest Island for
the day. After a 30-minute ferry ride from Fremantle we arrived at the home of
the happiest animals on earth – quokkas. Rottnest Island (Wadjemup) is a haven
of pristine beaches, aquamarine bays, bike tracks and walking trails. We rented
bikes for the day and set out to discover the island. The main attraction, of
course, was the highly photogenic quokka, a friendly marsupial that appears to
smile. Not only the subject of countless celebrity selfies, the Western
Australian icon is also responsible for the island’s name: 17th century Dutch
sailors mistook the cute creatures for large rats. Rottnest is one of the few
areas in the world where the native quokka can be found. We biked for
13 miles around the island (up and down many, many hills) and enjoyed the
beautiful scenery. By the end of the day our out-of-shaped legs were like noodles,
but we had a great time.
To celebrate Christmas, President and Sister Wi Repa kicked
off our Senior activity day by having lunch at the Epicurean restaurant at the Crown
Perth. Wow, the food was delicious! It has been a privilege to serve alongside the senior
missionaries. They consistently demonstrate dedication and commitment to
service. Their strong adherence to the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ
is evident, and they extend compassion and kindness and His love to everyone
they meet.
We then gathered and played minute to win it games all night. We played party horn pong, cookie face, ping pong toss, and ping pong drop just to name a few. We had a blast and laughed and laughed. Who knew President and sister Wi Repa are so competitive.💪😁😲
Friday was Zone Conference. On our way to the chapel, we found Sister Franckowiak and Sister Foote at the car wash getting their car ready for their car inspection. They are inspirational and a great example of obedience.
President Wi Repa taught us about the POWER and GIFT of the Holy Ghost. Moroni 10:5 reminds us that “by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” What a great blessing it is in our lives. We as missionaries need to be in tune with the Holy Ghost as we carry the message of the gospel to those in Western Australia. As stated in 2 Nephi 33:1…”for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the POWER of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.” We are instruments in the Lord’s hands to invite others to come unto Christ and partake of the blessing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through baptism. The "POWER of the Holy Ghost" is the influence and spiritual manifestations that can be experienced by anyone, while the "GIFT of the Holy Ghost" is the specific ordinance of receiving the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, which is conferred after baptism and confirmation in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The gift is a covenant that allows for ongoing guidance and protection from the Holy Spirit as long as one remains righteous. The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. Through the Holy Ghost we may know that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that His Church has been restored to the earth. We may have the promptings of the Holy Ghost to show us all the things we should do (see 2 Nephi 32:5). The Holy Ghost sanctifies us to prepare us for God’s presence.
We love attending Zone Conference. It brings us so much happiness to be around the other missionaries. Additionally, we had the chance to reconnect with Elder Mehlhaff after his departure from Albany 3 months ago. We also bid farewell to several Senior Missionaries who completed their missions, and we will certainly miss the Osbornes and the Dartons.
Time is ticking by.....it is crazy to think that our time here is almost over. We have loved serving here and consider Albany and our friends here our home away from home. We love you all and are grateful for the many blessings and memories we have experienced.
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